#Yatiz is a story focusing on the lives of young people in a small seaside municipality called Carmen in the southern part of the Philippines. The name is based on a cuss word here, "Yati/Yatis" that has no English equivalent but is closest to WTF.
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MARCH 6, 2023・MONDAY・12:24
Hamza and Gabbie take their seats.
Maya and Mariz are already eating their lunches.
"Hi," Hamza says to everyone.
"Sorry we're late, chicas! Nag-sizing pa mi ug shirt para sa Foundation." Gabbie says as she puts down her shoulder bag on the side of the table. "Nadugay pud mi kay nag long quiz sa science. I hate science." She unzips her bag and takes out her lunch box.
"SORRY WE'RE LATE, CHICAS! WE WERE SIZING SHIRTS FOR FOUNDATION DAY."
"ALSO, WE HAD A LONG QUIZ IN SCIENCE. I HATE SCIENCE."
"Naglagot lang na si Gabbie kay mas dako sa iyaha ug score si Casper," Hamza explains.
"SHE'S JUST ANNOYED BECAUSE CASPER HAS A HIGHER SCORE THAN HER."
"One point. One. Point!" Gabbie says, opening her lunch box.
"Kinsa diay na si Casper?" Mariz asks.
"WHO'S CASPER?"
"Ay, isa sa mga bright sa among section."
"OH, ONE OF THE SMARTEST IN OUR SECTION."
"Gusto nako siya pildihon for feminism." Gabbie rolls her eyes. "Maglagot gyud ko sa iyahang nawong ay. Sobraan ka self-confident."
"I REALLY WANT TO BEAT HIM FOR FEMINISM."
"I HATE HIS FACE SO MUCH. SO SELF-CONFIDENT."
"Dili gud ay. Buotan man si Casper. Kauban man mi sa cleaners ana niya tapos helpful kaayo na siya," Hamza says, teasingly looking at Gabbie. "Basig nakagusto lang ka sa iyaha, Gab, mao nang ingon ana ka. Gwapo baya si Casper."
"I DON'T KNOW WHY YOU HATE HIM SO MUCH. CASPER'S A GOOD GUY. WE'RE BOTH IN THE SAME GROUP FOR CLEANERS AND HE'S VERY HELPFUL."
"MAYBE YOU JUST LIKE HIM, GAB, THAT'S WHY YOU'RE LIKE THAT. CAN'T BLAME YOU. HE'S HANDSOME."
"Ew! Maypag mamatay na lang ko." Gabbie aggressively chews on her lunch.
"EW! I'D RATHER DIE."
The other girls chuckle lightly.
Gabbie sighs. "Anyway, di na nato to siya isturyahan be. Kumusta man Maya? Niadto man daw ka'g Guidance."
"ANYWAY, LET'S STOP TALKING ABOUT THAT GUY. HOW ARE YOU MAYA? HEARD YOU WENT TO THE GUIDANCE OFFICE."
Maya looks at the girls first, a bit ashamed of herself. "Okay lang. Wala ko na-expel."
"IT WAS FINE. I DIDN'T GET EXPELLED."
"Maayo," Gabbie says. "Dapat lang nga dili ka niya i-expel. Dili man ikaw ang nag-sugod."
"GOOD."
"YOU SHOULDN'T EVEN HAVE TO WORRY ABOUT THAT HAPPENING. YOU DIDN'T EVEN START THE FIGHT."
Hamza nods in agreement.
Maya smiles as she stares at everyone around the table. Suddenly, she remembers something. She swallows nervously as she tries to push the words out. "Erm, girls." She takes a deep breath. "Sorry kung wala nako naingon sa inyo tong...katong giingon ni Pamela. Katong kang Jasmin. Mahadlok lang man gud ko nga mulahi imohang panan-aw sa akoa." She shakes her head. "Pero dili na excuse. Dapat giingon to nako sa inyo."
"ERM, GIRLS."
"AND I'M SORRY IF I DIDN'T TELL YOU ABOUT...WHAT PAMELA SAID...THE THING WITH JASMIN. I WAS JUST AFRAID THAT YOU'D THINK DIFFERENTLY OF ME."
"BUT THAT'S NOT AN EXCUSE. I SHOULD HAVE TOLD YOU GIRLS."
The girls exchange glances and share smiles with one another.
Mariz tenderly intertwines her arms around Maya's. "Ayaw'g kabalaka sa amoa, baby girl."
"DON'T WORRY ABOUT US, BABY GIRL."
Gabbie and Hamza nod.
"Dili kami imohang dapat ingnon ana."
"IT ISN'T US YOU SHOULD BE TALKING TO ABOUT THAT."
It takes a while for Maya to realize who Mariz is referring to. But eventually she understands and gives her an acknowledging look. "Tama diay, girls. Erm...Si Pamela ba..."
"OH, BY THE WAY. ERM...ABOUT PAMELA..."
Gabbie looks at her and lets out a worried little sigh.
"Wala tamo na-text atong weekend kay daghan kaayo ko'g ginahuna-huna. Pero atong Sabado, nagkita mi ni Pam-pam sa CR sa may ABM nga building. Unya kato..." She licks her lips. "Ana siya muhawa na daw siya sa channel."
"I DIDN'T TEXT YOU LAST WEEKEND BECAUSE I...I HAD A LOT OF THINGS GOING ON. BUT LAST SATURDAY, I BUMPED INTO PAM-PAM IN THE ABM RESTROOM. AND, ERM..."
"SHE SAID SHE'S LEAVING THE CHANNEL."
The other girls look at each other.
"Dili daw siya gusto maging parte sa channel nga wala'y ganahan sa iya."
"SHE SAID SHE DOESN'T WANT TO BE PART OF A CHANNEL WHERE NOBODY LIKES HER."
There is a moment of silence among them.
"Dapat pugson nato siya nga mubalik," Mariz says.
"WE HAVE TO GET HER BACK."
The girls exchange some glances with each other.
"Wow," Gabbie teases.
"Unsa man? Dapat dili ta musugot nga muhawa si Pamela sa channel nato."
"WHAT? WE CAN'T LET PAMELA LEAVE OUR CHANNEL."
Gabbie shrugs. "Wala lang ko nag-expect nga mingawon ka kang Pamela, baby girl."
"I JUST DIDN'T EXPECT YOU TO MISS PAMELA, BABY GIRL."
Mariz rolls her eyes. "Wala kaya ko gimingaw sa iya," she says under her breath.
"I DON'T MISS HER."
They all share a laugh.
Behind Hamza and Gabbie, Maya notices Jasmin passing by the open basketball court. She clears her throat and gets up from her seat. "Erm...guys, kadali lang ha. Naa lang ko'y adtoon." Distracted and without waiting for a response, she starts walking towards Jasmin's direction.
"ERM...GUYS. EXCUSE ME. I JUST...NEED TO GO SOMEWHERE."
"Maya," Mariz calls out, realizing what Maya's about to do.
Maya stops and turns around.
"Sabayan ka namo?" Mariz asks.
"YOU NEED US TO COME WITH YOU?"
She looks at her friends at the table and smiles. She shakes her head.
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